My King
by lorann
Summary: A fluffy oneshot from Leslie's point of view. First kiss story. Notsohappy ending. Just so you know. Rating for death, to be safe.


Bridge to Terabithia

Leslie's point of view

**My King**

I sat on a thick branch that juts out over the roof of our make-shift tree fort. We called it our castle, and in my mind, it was one of the most magnificent sights in all of Terabithia, but not the greatest. No, the most beautiful thing in Terabithia was_ him_.

His dark brown hair often fell across his intriguing eyes, making the hazel overcome the bright green specks. I found myself staring more and more at his thin, tanned arms, which were becoming more muscular and toned with each passing day. We couldn't deny our growing up, and now that I saw the beginnings in him, I prayed it'd come faster.

As I sat, observing him almost unnoticeably, I recognized a soft blush grace his naturally tinted cheeks. I first thought it was just from the sun beating down on him as he sat on an old fallen log far below me. He was scribbling intently in his art pad. Then, I caught a slight smirk on his dry lips, which caused me to blink and quickly shift my gaze up to the cloudless sky.

I glanced back after a long moment, and flinched when I saw his eyes on me. I leaned back on my branch, kicking my legs and tilting my head to the side, making my blue eyes innocent. His light smirk turned into an obvious grin. I shrugged my shoulders slightly, to add to the innocent effect.

"Don't try that on me." His voice was teasing as he tried to make his expression stern, getting inspiration from his father. "You know it doesn't work."

I instantly broke into a fight of laughter, holding my sides to ham up the act, and show how I obviously didn't believe him. His expression fell and he glanced down at his latest piece of work. My laughter died down and I sighed, now leaning forward slightly, my legs crossed at my ankles. "What?"

Jess shrugged slightly and closed the drawing book, setting it on his box of various pencils, paints, and crayons. He looked back up at me. "If you get hurt…" he began, but I cut him off with a dramatic, drawn-out sigh, which made him raise an eyebrow.

"I know, I know," I said, mocking irritation as I shimmied across the branch towards the tree trunk of the strong tree. I couldn't help but notice him, watching me the whole way. "You'll kill me if I die." I grinned as I swung down onto the tree house deck.

I noticed the relief flash across his soon-to-be quite defined features as soon as my feet hit the somewhat-solid ground. "But, Jess, you obviously can't kill _me_." I began strutting as I walked through the small door, into the castle. I smiled to myself at the feeling of his eyes following my over-exaggerated swaying hips.

"I can threaten." His voice sounded as if it was right behind me suddenly, and I gasped and started to spin around. Instead, I 'gracefully' tripped over a rug on the floor. Almost instantly, Jess had his arms around me, and my head was against his chest.

I took in a deep breath, realizing he smelled like fresh pine needles. My eyes fluttered shut at the intoxicating scent. It seemed like time stood still.

"Leslie…" Jess' voice was hushed and low, and my stomach seemed to do some interesting acrobatics. I decided not to respond, liking the crazy circus that seemed to have pitched its tent in my belly. "Leslie," he tried again as I slid my arms around his broadening frame. I felt his body tense up, and I still said nothing.

I suppose he gave up, because he tightened his grip around me. I smiled and lifted my head, opening my eyes to meet his. His cheeks were flushed a deep red, and the small smile returned to my lips. I saw his hazel-green eyes wonder down to my pink mouth. My smile faded and I bit my lip, suddenly nervous.

Honestly, I'd never kissed a boy before. I was pretty sure I wanted to kiss Jess, though. Watching his bright eyes intently scan my face, I felt my cheeks go pink and my heart flutter. His warm breath on my face made a lump form in my throat and swallow hard. He seemed to notice, because he met my eyes with his again.

"Jess, I…" I began, but was cut off by his lips crashing awkwardly against mine. I blinked in surprise, then racked my brain, trying to think of what people in the books I read do when they kiss someone.

Stupid books weren't detailed enough.

Jess just kept his lips there, his eyes closed tightly. The small frown etched across his face made it look as if he was concentrating on one of his drawings. That did it. I started giggling.

Oh, my God, I was laughing while Jess kissed me.

He pulled back so abruptly I was sure he got whiplash. That just made me laugh even more. He blinked, and his face turned the color of an over-ripe tomato. I giggled, letting myself calm down a little.

"S-sorry," he said, his voice cracking slightly in embarrassment. I took a deep breath and bit my lip again, but I was no longer nervous.

"Don't be," I said simply as I took my arms from around him. He looked up from the ground, still bright red, looking confused. I smiled and grabbed his clammy hand. I'm sure mine wasn't much better.

"Whad'dya mean?" Jess' eyes were wide, and I could tell he was still extremely nervous. I grinned a little more and lightly squeezed his hand, causing him to blink.

"I mean," I sighed, looking for the right words. "I think it's more like this," I breathed, and his eyes shut tight, his lips puckered eagerly. I rolled my eyes. "You totally just ruined it," I said quietly, and the corners of his mouth tugged up into a grin. I hit his shoulder with my free hand and sighed, before putting my hand lightly on his cheek.

He opened his eyes at the touch, and I smirked. I slowly brought our lips together, my head tilted to the side slightly. After a moment, I felt his mouth start to move against mine. I cracked my eyes open a little and noticed he was looking at me as well. Both our eyes snapped shut, and I started to move my lips as well.

Our inexperienced lips found a slow rhythm. Then, there was a loud clap of thunder and we both jumped away in shock. I looked up at the roof with somewhat disappointed eyes. I heard Jesse say something, but it took a few seconds for it to register.

"What?" I looked back at him, and he was holding my coat out to me. I didn't even realize he had let go of me. I took it and slipped it on, just as rain drops began beating down. Jess sighed and put his jacket on as well.

"Sounds like a storm is coming," he said as his warm hand gripped mine again. We smiled lightly at each other. "Terabithia can survive anything." My voice was bright and airy. "And so can we. Nothing crushes us." I grinned happily and slid my hand from his, climbing down to the ground that was already somewhat wet.

"'Cept maybe my lips.," he muttered, and I looked up at him. Our eyes met, and we both began laughing.

"We'll have to work on that," I replied between giggles, and the rain came down harder as another thunder clap echoed through our land. He jumped down from the ladder, landing next to me as I scooped up my puppy, Prince Terrian, and grinned at him.

"Oh yes." Jess smiled brightly at me. "Definitely."

* * *

Two days later, I had agreed to meet Jess at the creek. The brook seemed to have turned into a raging river, I noticed, as I used a long stick to retrieve the rope swing hanging from a thick branch over the water. I gripped it tightly as I eyed the muddy water rushing below me.

I looked around with a frown. The rain had stopped last night, but the water was high. High enough to possibly be up to my shoulders. I took in a sharp breath and frowned as I looked around. Jess was never late. I sat on a log that was disintegrating into the rich soil, holding the rope between my knees and looking around patiently.

After what felt like hours, but was really ten minutes, I huffed in annoyance and stood up. I would just have to enter our magical land of Terabithia by myself, until he showed up. I supposed he had slept in late after doing his chores.

I took another glance at the water as I held the rope in my small hands. I went around and stepped up onto the log. An eerie feeling came over me and I swallowed hard.

"Jess?" I called, not letting fear overtake me. I was not weak. I was never afraid. There was no answer, and I suddenly doubted my own thoughts. I closed my eyes and shook it off. I jumped and hugged the rope with my knees and hands as I swung forward. Normally I would have jumped off right when I got to the other side. But today, I decided to swing back and forth a few times, like the first time I found the rope: Our entrance to the land.

I leaned my head back as the rope took me backwards again, towards the other side. The sky was dreary, but I smiled anyways. I loved the exhilaration of this, with the feeling of being weightless.

I swung forward again, but told myself one more time wouldn't hurt, as the bottom of my feet skimmed the angered water. I heard a somber creaking noise and looked up again. Just as I spotted the fibers of the old rope fringing, it broke.

I let out a scream of surprise, and for the first time in my life, fear. Pure, utter fear was the only thing keeping me from the deathly waters snapped.

I felt the water surround me and forcefully pull me under the strong current. Then my head hit something, hard, and everything went black.

In my last seconds of what I knew was the end, I did my best to tell Jess that I loved him through my thoughts; for my king would never hear the words come from my mouth.

I was gone.

* * *

R&R, loves.


End file.
